According to previous announcement, the Harvard University Base Ball Club, of Cambridge, and the Union, of this city, met yesterday afternoon on the St. Louis base ball park. Owing to some misunderstanding between the two clubs in regard to the time when the game was to be called, the members of the Union did not arrive on the field until 4 o'clock. Unluckily the Harvards had arranged to leave on the 5:15 train for Chicago. This of course made the proposed game short, only one inning being terminated.

The game was called at 4:10 by the favorite umpire, Mr. W. Kennon, of the Olympic Base Ball Club, of Carondelet. His fame in the position of umpire is well known. During his short term of office yesterday, he acquitted himself in his usual creditable manner.

The Unions winning the toss, went to the field; the Harvards the "bat."

First Inning.

Harvards. - Eustis, on a low grounder made his first. Wells out on first by Easton, assisted by Greenleaf. Prim got his base on called balls. Eustis came home on a passed ball by W. Wolf. Prim stole home on a passed ball. Bush attempted to steal home but was put out at the "plate" by Turner. Austin Smith and Willard scored each a run. White was put out on first, closing the inning with a total score of 5 runs.

Union. - Turner took his base on called balls. Gorman knocked a low one to second base, which was held and then thrown to first, putting Turner and Gorman both out, by this beautiful, but easy and mechanical double play of the Harvards. Easton got his first on a swift grounder to centre. Stansberry out on first, leaving Easton on second and adding the last 0 for a white-wash; terminating the first inning with a score of 5 to 0 in favor of the Harvards.

Second Inning.

This inning was not completed on account of the hastened departure of the Harvards. The Harvards had 9 runs with two men out and two on bases, when the captain of their nine called them from the field, thus ending the game.

It might be well to state, that unless five innings are played the game cannot be called a match, hence we omit the base ball order of the score, it being enough that the game was entirely under control of the Harvards, they using their opponents to suit themselves.

The crowd being a little displeased at the sudden termination of the game, Clay Sexton, assisted by some members of the Empire club, made up a picked nine, composed of the best players on the ground, including, we believe, some members of the Lone Star B.B.C. of New Orleans. The bat thrown down by the Harvards was taken up by this undaunted picked nine, and the Union found in them some true base ball metal. This impromptu match was quite interesting and the spectators were highly pleased with it.

-Missouri Republican, July 24, 1870

So, obviously, there's something going on with the Union Club. They're showing up late to matches and having problems getting their best players on the field. I can't say for certain exactly what the problem is but I do know that Asa Smith, the longtime president of the club, was no longer involved with the Unions in 1870 and that lose of leadership may have something to do with their disorganized state.

The Lone Stars, by the way, were in town for a couple of games with the Empires and Unions and just happened to be at the Harvard game.

The history of organized baseball at Harvard goes back to at least 1862 and their clubs during this era were very good. Both the Harvard and Yale baseball clubs made national tours and played some of the best clubs in the country.

Going back even further, proto-baseball games had been played at Harvard since at least 1729 and some of our earliest references to the game in the United States comes from there. You can't tell the early history of baseball in the United States without talking about Harvard.

The above advertisement appeared in the Missouri Republican on July 23, 1870.

The Occidental, Jr. base ball club, of Quincy, Ill., arrived in the city yesterday morning, and played the Unions in the afternoon at the park. The number of spectators was small.

The Quincy boys are a fine looking set of young men, and their playing, as developed during the game showed them to be quite accomplished for a junior organization, in all the points of the game. Their batting was extremely good, many hard and effective hits being made. Their pitcher delivered his balls in a quick and accurate manner, and were well handled behind the bat by the catcher. The third baseman and the centre fielder were particularly noticeable for the style in which they acquitted themselves.

As usual the Unions played with a short nine, Carr, W. Wolf and Lucas being absent. Turner of course played faultlessly. O'Brien never caught better since he joined the club. Gorman had few opportunities to display his general excellence as short stop. E. Wolf, in the centre, unaccountably muffed badly in the first inning. He was afterwards put on second base, Gorman going to centre.

The Union batted Sander's swift pitching all over the field, with little trouble, and made many beautiful strikes. Mr. Charles Maffitt acted as umpire.

The one thing that struck me from this game was the noted inability of the Union Club to put their best nine on the field. I had noticed that early but didn't think much of it but here we find it again and we find it commented upon. One has to think that the break up of the Union Club following this season had something to do with the fact that some of their best players were simply unable to find the time in their schedule to play the game. It's a very real possibility. Lord knows that I don't have the time that I need to do the things I'd like and I can certainly understand the plight of the Union players.

A meeting of the judiciary committee of the State Base Ball association was called for last night, in order to take action on an appeal made by the Union club against the Empires. The former state that the Empires played illegally at a recent contest. In consequence of the absence of Mr Hantz and Mr. Stith, two members of the committee, it was decided to adjourn until a full meeting could be had.

​-Missouri Republican, July 9, 1870

If I had to guess, I'd say the Unions were complaining that the Empires were using an illegal player. Shockingly, that complaint had come up before and would come up again with regards to the Empire Club. To the best of my knowledge, nothing every came of this specific charge.

On the Fourth the Garden City base ball club played the Unions at the park. The number of spectators was not large. The game was a most interesting one, as the Chicago men took the lead from the first, and maintained it throughout the game, badly beating the Union's score. It is due to the Union club to say that they played under some disadvantages. Three of their best players were absent, which necessitated the employment of other men, and the changing of the regular positions of the nine.

​-Missouri Republican, July 6, 1870

According to Tobias, the three missing Union players were Charles Turner, Robert Lucas, and Joseph Carr.

The game of base ball for the championship of this state which, as has been advertised, would be played yesterday between the Empire club, the preset champions, and the Union club, came off at the appointed time and place and resulted in the defeat of the Unions. Notwithstanding the extreme severity of the heat yesterday afternoon, some 800 to 1,000 people assembled at the park to witness the contest between these rival clubs.

The game on the whole was not particularly brilliant. There were some exhibition of fine and heavy batting and some beautiful catches and good fielding on both sides...Mr. F.A. Kennon was chosen umpire, and acquitted himself creditably - delivering his decisions in a quick, strict and impartial manner...

​-Missouri Republican, June 24, 1870

The Republican's account of the game goes on to give a detailed inning-by-inning account but I'm going to spare myself the burden of typing that up. Bottom line was that the Empires won the first game of their championship series against the Unions by a score of 36-28.

The Clipper also published an account of this game:​

These old rival clubs of St. Louis entered the arena for the championship of Missouri for 1870, on the 23d of June, the game being played at the base ball park at St. Louis, in the presence of a large crowd of spectators...The ball played with was a lively one, and hence there was no less than 39 fielding errors in the game, heavy hitting deciding the contest...

The challenge which the Union base ball club of this city some time ago sent to the Empire club to play a match game of ball for the championship of the state, has been accepted by the Empire. The game will be played at the base ball park on Thursday the twenty-third day of this month.

​-Missouri Republican, June 9, 1870

The Unions and the Empires were, in 1870, still the best two clubs in St. Louis. They weren't good enough to compete on a national level but they were the best baseball clubs in Missouri. Their series would decide both the city and state championship for the year, as it had for the best several seasons.

The Washington University Club was a strong combination of young players being excellent fielders and strong batters who essayed to down the Union Club on June 2. The weather was so excessively hot that both nines exhibited but little energy, the play of the Unions, however, showing improvement.

-The Sporting News, December 14, 1895

With the scant material I have to work with from the Republican, I'm turning to Tobias' history of St. Louis baseball that ran in The Sporting News in 1895 and 1896. I've always been interested in the Washington University baseball club, as well as the St. Louis University club, and believe that the strong tradition of amateur, collegiate baseball in the city has largely been forgotten. Tobias did a fantastic job of covering that and it's largely through his efforts that we're aware of the great clubs that the universities in St. Louis had during this era.

A spirited game of base ball was played yesterday on the grounds of the Baltic club, between the Peerless and the Atlantic clubs, in which the Peerless were the victors, the score being 33 to 24.

​-Missouri Republican, June 6, 1870

​There's nothing in the Republican regarding St. Louis clubs following the visit by the Chicagos until this squib in early June. However, Tobias does mention a few other games during that period, specifically a match between the Lone Stars and the St. Louis Club on May 1, a match between the Aetnas and the Atlantics on May 22, and a match between the Aetnas and the Unions on May 26. So we know that there was baseball being played in St. Louis during May of 1870 but, for some reason, the Republican was not covering it.

The game of base ball between the Chicago club and the Union came off yesterday afternoon at the base ball park, and attracted quite a number of interested spectators. The Chicago club arrived yesterday morning and stopped at the Laclede hotel. A more beautiful day for the sport could not have been desired, and, except a little softness of the soil caused by the rain Thursday, the field was in good condition. The Chicago visitors were conveyed to the park in carriages, and reached there promptly at the appointed time. Their uniform consisted of blue caps, white shirts with the letter "C" embroidered on the breast, light blue vest, and blue knee breeches with white stockings and buff shoes, which, together with their well-formed and muscular physique, gained for them a most favorable opinion at the outset. Their opponents appeared in a new uniform of white caps, shirts, and knee breeches with blue stockings which is a decided improvement on their old uniform.

The game was called at twenty minutes after three o'clock, Mr. B.J. Schaeffer of the Active club of New York, acting as umpire.

The playing of the Chicagos at the commencement of the game was not particularly brilliant - but their third innings saw a great improvement at the bat, which they handled in splendid style, and struck some hard and safe balls. From this time they steadily improved their score, placing themselves far in advance of the Unions. Their fielding on the whole was not to be compared with their batting. Cramer, behind the bat, however, was particularly noticeable. He is an admirable catcher, and the manner in which he played behind the bat, was the subject of general remark. At the 5th innings, Pinkham, the regular pitcher, took his position (Myerle had been pitching up to this time,) and he delivered his balls in a well-directed, swift, and deceptive manner...The out-fielders had very few opportunities of exhibiting their skill.

The Unions are to be congratulated for the handsome manner in which they acquitted themselves in the field...

Their weak point, however, was their batting, and this was, we must confess, most lamentably weak. Whether it was that Pinkham's balls were too deceiving, or that it was for want of practice, we can not judge, but we must say that it was the poorest batting they ever displayed in any match game. They succeeded in getting but one run, and that was credited to Greenleaf.

​-Missouri Republican, April 30, 1870

I don't have much of anything to say about this game. It continued a pattern of losses that the best St. Louis clubs suffered at the hands of the top teams in the nation - a pattern that began in 1866 and continued through 1874. The top St. Louis clubs simply were not good enough to compete with the best baseball clubs in the country.

What I do want to say, however, is that I'm about halfway through looking at the Republican's baseball coverage of the 1870 season and I'm a bit disappointed in what I've found so far. There is a good deal of baseball coverage but, interestingly, at least half of that is coverage of the top national clubs. There's a lot of stuff about the White Stockings, the Red Stockings of Cincinnati, and the New York clubs but not that much about the local clubs - at least through June. Unless I can find more from the second half of the season, this is going to make for a short series.